Joint structure for a doll limb



Sept. 3, 1957 D. COHN JOINT STRUCTURE FOR A DOLL LIMB 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Filed June 22, 1955 DAVID COHN ATTORNEYS .ciil

Sept. 3, 1957 Filed June 22, 1955 D. COHN JOINT STRUCTURE FOR A-DOLL LIMB- yhwa/wa 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR DAVID COHN ATTO R N EYS nited States Patent JOINT STRUCTURE FOR A DOLL LIMB David COhIl, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Model Plastic Corporation, White Plains, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 22, 1955, Serial No. 517,143

8 Ciaims. (Cl. 46-173) The present invention relates to joint structure for a doll limb or the like, particularly where at least one of the jointed parts is formed of soft flexible material.

Doll limbs as well as bodies have customarily been made of rigid material. However in the past several years many dolls, and particularly the limbs thereof, have been made of synthetic resin formulations (e. g. vinyl resins) which produce a soft and resiliently flexible finished product. These substances are desired because they impart to the roll a soft and life-like feel," thus making them more attractive to their youthful users.

The very softness of these materials, however, presents constructional problems, particularly insofar as producing a doll of sufficient rigidity is concerned. Nowhere are the constructional problems thus presented more critical than at the doll joints. A joint which was simple, effective and easily manufactured when the doll was formed of rigid material has proved to be essentially unsatisfactory when soft materials are involved.

Accordingly, those dolls made in whole or in part of soft materials have been functionally inferior to the prior ,doll constructions of rigid material in numerous respects, particularly insofar as articulation at the joints is con- ,cerned. The joint structures devised for connecting soft legs or arms to doll bodies characteristically permit rotation of the limb with respect to the body about a fixed axis, despite the fact that universal movement, as through a ball and socket joint, had long been preferred in conventional rigid doll structures. In addition, although many rigid doll structures provided for articulation at the knee or elbow, the practical considerations deemed "by the prior art to be insurmountable in connection with the use of soft and flexible materials have led to the absence of such articulation in dolls the limbs of which ,Were formed of flexible material.

I have devised a structure which will permit the construction of a doll having parts formed of soft and flexible material, which parts may neverthelessbe articuiately joined in a .manner entirely comparable, and in some respects even superior, from a functional point of viewto the joints previously utilized and favored in connectionwith rigid dolls. These results are attained without sacrificing the. soft and attractive .feelv attendant upon the use of soft and flexible material, and at very little additional expense. The various parts of the doll structure of the present invention may readily be assembled an d disassembled. The means which holds the jointed parts together also serves to rigidify those parts and thus permit them to provide for universal joint movement. In addition, and this represents an improvement even over rigid joint structures as they have been known, the joints ofthe present invention will function to provide guided articulationand sealing even when-the joined parts are pulled apart. The joint structure may also have attached thereto additional rigidifying structure which will provide an internal support for all or a' part of the limb in question where it is desired to have a limb 2,804,721 Patented Sept. 3, 1957 ice 2 of greater rigidity than the soft material itself will provide.

The limb portion formed of soft flexiblematerial which is to be articulately joined to some other body member is shaped, at its joint end, to produce a part inter-fitting with the other body member so as to permit articulation. For example, it may be shaped in the form' of a ball receivable in a socket in the other body member. The limb material is, however, so soft as to be non-selfsustaining, particularly under the forces necessary to hold the limb and the other body part together. Consequently it will tend to collapse under the application of such forces, thus destroying the shape of the limb at the joint and perhaps elsewhere as well and preventing proper articulation. In order to avoid these defects, the soft limb is made hollow at its joint end and a substantially rigid reinforcing element is mounted in that hollow, the shape of the reinforcing element being such that when it is urged toward the joint end it tends to distort that end into firm engagement with the corresponding joint part in the other body member. If the limb end is in the form of a ball the reinforcing element, when thus urged, will tend to spread the ball out. If the parts are reversed and the limb end should constitute a socket, the reinforcing element, when thus urged, will tend to cause the socket to collapse or its concavity to decrease. The limb end is provided with an opening which communicates with the hollow in which the reinforcing element is received, and a resilient means passes through that opening and is operatively connected to the reinforcing element, the resilient means being effective to urge the reinforcing element toward the limb end and the opening therein. Hence the action of the resilient means on the reinforcing element will cause the limb to be held against the body member and will also cause the joint part on the limb to assume and retain a shape effective to permit proper articulation of the limb with respect to the body part to which it is joined. Movement of the soft limb away from the other body member will increase the force urging the reinforcing element toward the limb end, and the joint part will be distorted in such a way as to remain engaged with the corresponding joint part in the other body member. 7

The advantages of the present invention are most marked when two limb parts are to be articulately joined,

for example, in the form here specifically illustrated, in

thejoining of upper and lower arm sections at the elbow. When, as is usually the case, both of these limb parts are formed of soft, flexible material, one limb part is for-med with a ball and the other with a cooperating socket. Reinforcing elements shaped appropriately to the ball and socket respectively are received within the hollows formed in the limb parts at their joined ends. The openings into those hollows register when the limb parts are joined, and the resilient means passes through the registering openings, engages the reinforcing elements in the ball and socket respectively, and pulls them toward one another, thus simultaneously'holding the limb parts in assembled position andcausing the joint parts to assume and retain their proper cooperating shapes even under adverse circumstances. 1 D

The reinforcing elements may be defined by rigid inserts received within their respective'hollows, but-this is not essential. The use of a fairly stiff coiled spring as a reinforcing element has been found to be quite effective,

and is in some respects superior to the use of a truly rigid insert because of the additional softness'resulting in the joint and because of the greater resilient force exerted on the reinforcing elements. j 7

The joint reinforcing elements, whether truly rigid or otherwise,'may extend from the joint parts into and along 'thelength of the limb parts for any desired distance'in se in whole or in part is desired.

4T the assq p ishme t o e a ove aniio ash e e objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the construction of ajointfor a dollor the like, as defined in the appended claims and as described in thisspecification, taken together with the accompanying awi in wh h: V

I Fig. 1 isa-front elevational view, partially cross sectioned, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

.Fig 2 is a perspective view of the reinforcing inserts usedfor theupper and lower limb sections; A

Fig. 3 ;is across sectional view taken along the line i 3., V 7 Fig.-4 -is across sectional view taken. along the line -5 of g r Fig. 5 is across sectional view of a second embodiment ofthe present invention;

-Fig. ;6 is across scctionalview of a'third embodiment of --thepresent invention; and

, Fig. 7'is a crosssectional view of a fourth embodiment of the presentiinvention.

'Ihe invention is here disclosed as embodied in a doll arrn,-and particularly as affecting the shoulder and elbow joints thereof. It will be apparent thatthis is by way of exemplificationonlmand that the invention is also applicable to the construction of doll legs and for use in other joints, .such as the wrist, neck, hip, knee or ankle. The dollbody2 is here shown as formed of rigid materialand isprovided with appropriately located shoulder openings 4 the inner surfaces of which are'curved to define sockets. The arms are formed of upper and lower sections 6 and 8jrespectively,1the upper section 6 being articulately connected to the doll body 2 at the shoulder 4 and the lower limb section 8 being articulately connected to the upper limb section 6 at an elbow joint generally designated 10. The,limb sections 6 and 8 are formed of a soft and resiliently flexible material suchas an appropriate vinyl resin. They are normally capable of sustaining the shape to which they. are molded, but will readily give upon the application ofpressurethere- The upper limb .section' 6.is provided with an opening 12 at its shoulder portion 13 which communicates with i-tsghollow interior 14. At1its elbow end ;the 'outer surface of thesection 6.,isxconcaved,-as at'16, todefinea socket, the'surf ace 16 being formedinpart by an inward- 1y, extending flange 18 having, a central opening, 20.

,The elbow rendiof thelower, limb section 8is provided with an outer ;convex surface '22 ,simulatinga ,ball and corresponding in curvature to the socket surface .16 of theupperlimb section-6. The, interior ,ofithe lower limb section 8-is hollow, as at. 24,;and agcentral aperturej26 is provided-iat'the elbow end'thereof communicating with the'hollow -24.

.In the form specifically disclosed in Figs. 1-4 a rigid reinforcing elementrgenerally designated 28 and pref- ..erably formed of some suitable molded plastic material -is shaped to fit within the hollow 14in the upperplimb section '6'so "as to conform to the inner surface thereof along substantially theentire'length thereof. The shoulde'r end 30 of the insert 28 is rounded toconform both to .theishoulder portion 13 of the, limb section 6and to the socket surface 4 of the doll body 2; The lower end 32 of the insert 28 rests on the radially outer portion of, the

flange 18 of the limb section 6.. The,'insert 28 i's'hollow,

as indicated by the reference numeral 34, and. is open atboth. of its ends. A pin 36' extends across the hollow 34 adjacent theshouldenend thereof. 7

A rigid reinforcing elementijgenerally designated '38 .is utilized for the lower limbsectiojn -8' and is preferably ,f ormed .of somesuitablemoldedRplastic; material to a shapecorresponding to that of the .hollow.24'in the lower limb section 8, the outer surface of the element 38 engaging the inner surfaces of the hollow 24. In particular, the elbow end 40 of the insert 38 is ball-shaped to conform to the shape of the elbow end 22 of the limb section 8 and to the socket surface 16 in the limb section 6. A pin 42 extends across the elbow portion 40 of the insert 38, that insert being hollow, at 43, and having an opening 44 at its elbow end.

Since the'materi'al of which the limb sections 6 and 8 is formed is resiliently flexible, the inserts 28 and 38 may readily be inserted into the limb sections 6 and 8 respectively through their respective openings 12 and 26, those openingsexpanding to permit passage of the inserts therethrough, the limb sections 6 and 8 then contracting to their normal shape around the inserts 28 and 38 respectively.

A spring 46 is tensioned between the pins 36 and 42. This spring 46 performs two functions. In the first place, as is conventional, it holds the limb sections 6 and 8 together'at the elbowljoint 10. In the second place, it pulls the insert 38 upwardly and pulls the insert 28 downwardly. As the'ins ert 38 is urged upwardly, its elbow portion 40 will tendto cause the elbow portion 22 of the limb section 8 to expand or dilate. This serves to bring the outer surface of the limb section elbow portion 22 into engagement with the socket surface 16 of the limb section 6. When the-insert28-is urged downwardly its action on the flange 18'of the limb'section 6'tends to cause that flange to flatten out, and thus brings its outer surface 16 into engagement with the outer surface of the elbow portion 22 of the limb section 8. This tendency of the bell part of thejoint toexpand and of the socket part of the joint to collapse or reduce its concavity ensures that the ball and socketinter-relationship of those parts will be assumed, and that such inter-relationship will reliably continue un'der even the most. adverse circumstances. For example, if the lower limb section 8 should be pulled away from the upper limb section 6 for a short distance, a firm ball and socket joint .will still exist, the ball expanding and/or the concavity of the socket decreasing because of thefiiexible nature of the interengaging parts and because of their operativeinterconnection via the spring 46 and the inserts 28 and'38. Moreover, the seal at the joint will not be destroyed.

In order to connect the arm to the doll body 2, a spring 48 is connected to the pin 36, passes through the opening ,12jatfthe shoulder end 13 of the limb section 6, extends through the doll body 2, and engages, either direcfly or through the use of a joined spring 48', the pin 36 in the upper arm section 6 at the other side of the doll. The

'action of the {spring'48 onthe balljoint at the shoulder end 13 of the arm' section 6 will be seen to be the same as the action of the spring 46 on the ball joint at the elbow end of the arm section 8.

Because the reinforcing elements 28 and 38 of Fig. I extend within the hollow interiors 14 and 24 of the limb sections'6and8- respectively, it will be apparent that 'those limb sections will be rigidified along substantially their entire length both longitudinally and laterally. This will not, however, destroy the soft feel of those limb sections, since'the walls of those sections are of sufficient being resiliently spaced from one another and the coil terminating at its upperend in a cross piece 52 having a depression 54 into 'whichan end ofthe spring 46a is hooked. The lower end 32a ofthe reinforcing element 28a is positioned similarly 'to the lower end of the reinforcing element 28 of Figs. 1-4. The reinforcing element 38a is defined by a plurality of spring wire convo1utions56, also resiliently spaced from one another, the coil beginning at the upper end, having an outer contour conforming to the inner surface of the hollow 24 at the elbow portion of the limb section 8, and terminating at its lower end in a cross bar 58 having a depression 60 into which the other end of the stretched spring 46a is received. In this embodiment some of the resilient force tending to urge the reinforcing element 28a downwardly and the reinforcing element 38a upwardly is derived from the resiliency of those elements themselves. Moreover, the force exerted on each of the elements 28a and 38a will tend to cause those elements to change their outer contour somewhat in an expanding sense, thus additionally facilitating their function of causing the joint surfaces to distort in a coordinated and cooperating manner when stresses are applied to the limb sections, as well as assisting the reinforcing element 28a in providing internal rigidification of the lower portion of the limb section 6 proper laterally along an appreciable portion of its length.

A coil spring rigidifying element 38a is provided at the shoulder end 13 of the limb section 6, that reinforcing element being similar in shape and function but perhaps different in size from the element 38a, an end of the spring 48 engaging with the depression 60 in the cross bar 58 thereof.

The embodiment of Fig. 6 differs from the embodiment of Fig. l primarily in providing reinforcing elements substantially solely at the joint areas, and in providing for internal reinforcement of the shoulder area 13 of the upper limb section 6 independently of the reinforcement provided at the elbow end thereof. The reinforcing element 28b at the elbow end of the limb section 6 is, in effect, a truncated version of the element 28 of Fig. 1 with a cross bar 36b molded integrally therewith. Similarly, the reinforcing element 38b at the elbow end of the limb section 8 is a truncated version of the element 38 of Fig. 1, but with the cross bar 42b molded integrally therewith. The spring 46b is tensioned between the cross bars 36b and 42b. The reinforcing element 38b at the shoulder end of the limb section 6 is similar to the element 33b structurally and functionally. As here disclosed its cross bar 4212' is positioned within its hollow interior instead of at the end thereof remote from the joint, and it may optionally be provided with an outwardly projecting flange 62 which extends beyond the end of the limb section 6 and into the doll body 2.

In Fig. 7 the reinforcing element 28c at the elbow end of the limb section 6 is in the form of a stiff spring wire coil which is conical in configuration. Its lower end 320 rests at the outer end of the flange 18, but its body tapers inwardly quite rapidly so as to be spaced from the inner surface of the hollow 14. Thus the element 28c, while it affects the shape of the socket surface 16, does not provide any appreciable rigidification for the sides of the limb section 6 proper. A washer 64 extends across the top of the element 280, and a book 66 extends down therefrom. The reinforcing element 380 is in the form of a rigid ball having an axial passage 68 therethrough, a pin 70 extending through that passage with a head 72 at its lower end and with an eye 74 at its upper end into which the pin 66 is hooked. In this embodiment the reinforcing element 28c itself provides all of the resilient force tending to urge the two reinforcing elements 280 and 380 toward one another. Insofar as the ball and socket joint is concerned the reinforcing elements will function in substantially the same manner as in the previously described embodiments. However, the reinforcing elements of Fig. 7 will not provide any internal rigidification for the limb sections 6 and 8 except at the elbow joint 10.

In Fig. 7 the shoulder end 13 of the upper limb section 6 is shown secured to the doll body 2 by means of the type of joint which has previously been used in dolls the limbs of which are formed of flexible material. The doll body is provided with an inwardly projecting rim 76 and the shoulder end of the limb section 6 is grooved, at'78, so as to snugly receive the rim 76 therein. It will be' apparent that this permits articulation of the limb sec-' tion 6 with respect to the doll body 2 only through rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the limb '76. This is to be contrasted with the universal articulation permitted by the joints of the present invention. In addition, as the limb section 6 is pulled away from the doll body 2 the shoulder joint of Fig. 7 will tend to be destroyed, whereas with the joint of the present inven tion such movement of a given limb section away from the other part to which it is joined will, within limits, cause the joint part carried by that limb section and/or the joint part with which it mates to change their shape in order to continue to produce a proper joint and an effective seal at that joint.

While but a limited number of embodiments of the present invention have been here specifically disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the instant invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim: 7

1. A joint structure for a doll or the like comprising first and second body sections formed of soft, flexible material, the adjacent ends of said body sections defining interfitting male and female parts and said ends being hollow and having registering openings connecting with said hollows, said male part comprising walls tapering inwardly toward and terminating at said opening in said male part, said female part comprising walls tapering radially inwardly from the walls of the corresponding body section toward said opening in said female part and making an acute angle with said body section walls, a first substantially rigid reinforcing element in the hollow of said male part and having an outer surface shaped corresponding to the shape of said male part walls, a second substantially rigid reinforcing element in the hollow of said female part, having walls received inside the walls of the corresponding body section and substantially conforming thereto in shape to rigidify the latter against radial compression, the ends of said reinforcing element walls engaging in the vertex of said angle between said walls of said female part and said walls of the corresponding body section, and resilient means passing through said openings, operatively connected to said elements, and urging said elements toward one another-t,

2. A joint structure for a doll or the like comprising first and second body sections formed of soft, flexible: material, the adjacent ends of said body sections defining:

interfitting male and female parts and said ends being hollow and having registering openings connecting with said hollows, said male part comprising walls tapering in wardly toward and terminating at said opening in said male part, said female part comprising walls tapering radially inwardly from the walls of the corresponding body section toward said opening in said female part and making an acute angle with said body section walls, a first substantially rigid reinforcing element in the hollow of said male part and having an outer surface shaped cor responding to the shape of said male part walls, a second substantially rigid reinforcing element in the hollow of said female part, having walls received inside the walls of the corresponding body section and substantially conforming thereto in shape to rigidify the later against radial compression, the ends of said reinforcing element walls engaging in the vertex of said angle between said walls of said female part and said walls of the corresponding body section, the ends of said female part walls adjacent said female part opening being free of and unsupported directly by said second reinforcing element, and resilient means passing through said openings, operatively connected to said elements, and urging said ele-- ments toward one another.

3'. The joint structure of claim 1, in which said second reinforcing member comprises a rigid hollow shell extending along the inside of the body section correspond ing to said female part.

4. The joint structure of claim 2, in which said second reinforcing member comprises a rigid hollow shell extending along the inside of the body section correspond? ing to said female part.

5. The joint structure of claim 1, in which said first and second body sections comprise lower and upper limb sections, said upper limb section being adapted to be jointed to a doll body and being hollow from one end to the other thereof, said second reinforcing element extending through the hollow interior of said upper body section from one end to the other thereof.

6. The joint structure of claim 2, in which said first and second body sections comprise lower and upper limb sections, said upper limb section being adapted to be jointed to a doll body and being hollow from one end to the other thereof, said second reinforcing element extending through the hollow interior of said upper body section from one end to the other thereof.

7.'The joint structure of claim 1, in which said reinmaterial having integ al, cross bars to which said resilient. means is secured.

References Cited in the file 0t this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 504,627 Schultn Sept. 5, 189 3 1,250,905 Liljegran Dec. 18, 1917 1,276,224 Isaacs Aug. 20, 1918 1,551,250 Henry Aug. 25, 1925 1,939,677 Epstein Dec. 19, 1933 2,359,425 Katz Oct. 3, 1944 2,373,963 Kallus Apr. 17, 1945 2,554,001 Beal May 22, 19 51 20 2,733,545 Guadagna Feb. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 248,235 Switzerland Apr. 30, 1947 

